A New Face in Lobelia Girls' Academy!
by Lisle987
Summary: A story of an unexpected love between two rival personalities. BenioxOC. I'm putting this as T for now, but I'm not sure how this'll develop in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, hello, everyone! I haven't written a fanfiction in a looong time, so excuse me if I'm a bit out of shape. This is probably going to be one of those stories with multiple chapters, but I'm quite busy with revising and stuff, so I can't say when I'll be uploading chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this introduction, and please review!**

It was a Tuesday, near the end of summer, with enough sun revealed in the sky for it to be warm but with a comfortable breeze that stopped it from becoming uncomfortable. My mother was in her tanning booth, ignoring nature's alternative sun for an electric one, while my father was typing away on his laptop in the kitchen while talking rapidly on his phone about another business deal. I had placed myself in my room, sitting at my desk, trying to focus on my computer, my wide screen TV on the wall still on mute, anything other than my mobile phone that lay on the desk I was sat at. Every minute that small red device made no sound, even though it was set to be at full volume should someone call, was another minute where my normally settled calm came closer to shifting into impatience. My fingers started drumming on the shiny rosewood surface of the dark red desk, until I reminded myself that that particular gesture was viewed as rude, and slowly settled my hands in my lap, switching my focus to the computer screen in front of me. As expected, the thing that flashed back at me was the very thing that had me so impatient; the website for St Lobelia Girls Academy. I had already sent my application letter in, my personal details, my CV, everything they'd asked for. Yet, after a month of waiting, I had received no reply. What had started off as a settled acceptance of the need to wait soon dissolved into tapping feet, drumming fingers and angry glares shot at my always silent mobile phone. I could not recall a time where I had been so impatient. I had always been taught as a child that patience was a virtue, and I practiced it regularly. I lived in a stunning house with a perfectly good family and a bright future ahead of me because of the promise of a large inheritance. I never had a reason to complain. If I wanted something, I would get it. It was the same with everyone else I knew. But this time, it seemed I would be deprived of what I wanted most, and that infuriated me to no end. I managed to calm myself by moving gracefully from my desk to my state of the art speakers and CD player and picking out one of my many CDs and gingerly placing it in the open deck before closing it with a delicate push of a button. _The Best of Times _from the musical _La Cage aux Folles _began to flow through the speakers, reaching my ears in less than a second, causing a smile to slowly spread across my face as I lay back on the queen size bed, sighing as my head sunk into the soft texture of my pillow. However, I kept the music quiet enough so that I could hear the phone.

Soon, my patience was rewarded. Just as I was about to drift off, even though I had yet to change into proper evening attire and it was only 6pm, my phone went off with a sharp ring. I shot up like a bolt from the bed, my long black hair in a state of disarray. I jumped from the bed and grabbed the phone, before realising that I was acting like a maniac. I smoothed my hair down and took a deep breath, the phone still impatiently ringing in my left hand. I pressed a button to receive the call and pressed it to my ear, softly speaking a "Good evening, this is Akahana Himura speaking, how may I assist you?" I was met with a reply that caused my heart to pound. "Good evening Himura-san, I'm sorry for calling you at an impolite hour and I apologise if I interrupted your dinner, but as you already know, St Lobelia Girls' Academy is a busy organisation." This was the call I had been waiting for, I thought to myself. Now all I had to do was wait for the result of my hard work. My impatience stirred at that, but I stilled it with a silent reassurance that all my questions would be answered soon enough. "After reading through your application form and evaluating your accomplishments, we have come to the conclusion that you are more than worthy to be part of our community." In the next sentence, I swear I could hear a smile in her voice. "Congratulations. You're officially a member of St Lobelia Girls Academy. A letter will be arriving at your household soon stating your schedule, class group and other important details. Good luck and goodbye."

With those last words, she hung up. I didn't hold it against her- the organisation was a busy one after all, but I was still a little shocked that someone who worked at such a prestigious school would hang up so rudely. Still, I was too pleased to complain. I received the letter on an evening a few days later, as promised, which stated everything I needed to know, including that my days at the school would begin in early September, which was less than a week from now. The letter came with a package which contained my new uniform. I immediately rushed up the stairs to try it on in my walk-in closet in front of multiple mirrors, all positioned around me so I could see every angle of the outfit. I allowed myself the smallest giggle of delight before taking it off, replacing it with an especially designed crimson nightdress, one of many especially designed dresses, and placed it carefully back in its packaging. After spending the next hour removing my makeup and applying my face creams, I settled into the bed, lying on my back, the sound of music floating through my mind as I drifted into the world of dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

I slowly stepped out of my mother's completely white Maybach Landaulet and looked towards the large building in front of me, composing myself. I had wanted to go to St Lobelia Academy ever since I was a child. It seemed extravagant, magical and, most importantly, a place where talent could flourish. Seeing it in all its grandeur was very different from the pictures I'd seen on the Internet.

After saying my goodbyes to my overexcited mother, I made my way to the entrance. According to the letter, all new students were to gather in the meeting room. The map that had come with the letter navigated to me to the room, where about 50 girls were sitting on plush red chairs lined up next to each other in the same Lobelia Academy uniform that I was now wearing. Strange, I thought to myself, I thought I was early. I looked down at the red Rolex. No, I was early. I looked up from the Rolex to the girls, and I realised why there were so many of them already. Their enthusiastic expressions and the way they were chattering and giggling with each other showed that they were far too excited to arrive at any time that wasn't ridiculously early. I had to admit that I had the same problem, and their enthusiasm made it difficult for me to contain my own. I allowed myself a small chuckle behind my hand before I walked towards one of the many remaining scarlet seats.

A girl sitting next to me turned towards me, huge grin on her face and long blonde hair falling around her face in waves. "Hi there! Isn't this exciting? We've all been picked to be students at St Lobelia Academy! Squeee!" she gushed at me, her hair bouncing with her as a she spoke. Her excitement was infectious, and I found myself shooting a grin towards her to match hers. "I agree. This seems to be such an academic and creative school for young girls to attend." She nodded vigorously, glad to see I had the same positive opinion. "But it's not only the school that you should be interested in!" she tutted, shaking a finger. I raised an eyebrow in expectation, and she leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "You can't possibly ignore the glitz and glamour of The Zuka Club!"

That caused another smile from me, though this one was smaller and more mischievous. Ah, yes, the Zuka Club. I had definitely heard about them. They almost ruled the school, with the power they held. They organised all productions and were the famous figureheads of the school. While each member held considerable power, there was always one who was seen as the leader of The Zuka Club, both because of their popularity with the girls and because of their wealth. The current leading members of The Zuka Club were Hinako Tsuwabuki, Chizuru Maihara and Benio Amakusa, the President of The Zuka Club. Anyone who claimed to know about St Lobelia Academy had to know about The Zuka Club. In fact, it was an ambition of mine to join The Zuka Club when I've been here for more than a year and proved my worth as an actress and a singer.

The girl and I continued to talk and soon enough most of the other girls had pulled their chairs closer to us to join in on our conversation about The Zuka Club. It seemed that some of these girls had signed up to this school just to meet The Zuka Club. Still, I couldn't criticise them. It was a part of the reason I decided to sign up to the school as well. After about ten more minutes, all of the girls had arrived and they were all in their own little groups, chattering about whatever new reason for their excitement to expand came to their minds. Then, suddenly, the lights turned off. We all gasped, and some girls wondered aloud if the lights were broken. But, just as one girl was about to stand up to investigate, a bright light came from the front of the room. We all sat down and turned towards it, seeing the silhouettes of three girls through fog machines and the creative use of shadows. Soon, we heard a word sung in perfect pitch by different voices from the stage.

"Lobeliiiaaa!"

"Lobeliiiaaa!"

"Lobeliiiaaa!"

And then the three voices came together into one, with one last "Lobeliiiaaa!" and confetti cannons were let out into the audience, causing us all to laugh or squeal with delight. The three girls stepped out of the shadows to reveal themselves as the three leading members of The Zuka Club. There was only a second of silence, where we were all in shock of seeing the women we had been gushing about only minutes ago. But then we were all standing up as one, screaming like this was the apocalypse. I don't know what was making me act like this. It was completely different from my usually composed behaviour. I supposed it was the peer pressure. After all, everyone was screaming all around me, and I would look like the odd one out if I didn't. It was only wise to act as the people around you act, in order to gain their favour, and therefore gain a lot more, like future business deals. I suppose my father's way of thinking had rubbed off on me, along with my mother's enthusiasm. The Zuka Club talked in turn about the history of the school, what sort of activities we could sign up for, the lessons we'll have and more. Everyone had calmed down by this point and were listening patiently, though that was probably because of the presence of the Benibara-sama Guardian Club, another group I had heard about in my research, who stopped any of Benio's fans acting too disorderly. However, on the many occasions where Benio would smile or wink towards the audience, many of the girls couldn't help themselves and started screaming again. The blonde girl who was sat next to me seemed to be in hysterics at this point. This caused another chuckle from me, though I tried to concentrate on what The Zuka Club were telling us and not how ridiculously we were all acting, as I would probably need to know the basic knowledge of how this school functions if I want to stay in it. After another five minutes of diagrams and maps, they bid us farewell, much to the dismay of their captive audience.

Soon, we were filed outside by the Benibara-sama Guardian Club and given a tour of the school by another group, while the Benibara-sama Guardian Club hurried after The Zuka Club. Some overenthusiastic girls tried to run after The Zuka Club as well, but the tour guides reeled them in, and soon our attention was taken away from The Zuka Club as we took in the beauty and harmony of the school. Soon the bell rang, calling for break for the students who regularly attended this school. I admired the way the girls filed out of the classes to the courtyard, a teacher leading them. It managed to seem organised without looking oppressive, as the girls were all laughing and talking together in groups as they marched outside.

We were allowed a break as well, where I became friends with a few more new students, collecting them like shells at a beach. After the tour was over, it was already evening, so we had dinner in the dining hall, which looked as glorious as the rest of the school, with rosewood tables and red plush chairs not unlike the ones in the meeting room. Afterwards, they showed us to our rooms, as this was a boarding school. Luckily, I shared the room with someone I already knew, the blonde-haired girl that seemed so excited at the start and still did, her cheeks pink with overexertion. We chattered away like excited little girls, though both of us were 16, until exhaustion settled in after the long yet wondrous day we'd enjoyed.

In my dreams that night, my mind was filled with images of The Zuka Club and standing with them, singing my heart out on a well-lit stage. Benio was flirting with all the other girls with her usual winks and wry smiles as she stood on stage with me, sending them into hysterics, but when she turned to me, I didn't see that same flirting manner. I saw care in those dark brown eyes and, when she smiled, she really _smiled. _It wasn't flirty, it wasn't charming, it wasn't dashing. It was just a smile. It was honest, and it made me give a true, honest smile back.

**So, everyone, tell me. What should I do with this blonde girl? Should she be a rival for Benio's affections? Should she have a relationship with our main character? Should she just remain insignificant? I can't decide! Help me out here! Anyway, I hope you're enjoying it so far. I think the next chapter will show my OC singing for the first time, so keep reading and reviewing for more! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay! I'd pretty much given up on this story, but I felt it was unfair to my readers, even if there aren't a lot. Anyway, I hope you don't hate this chapter too much. I've kind of lost the flow to this story, but hopefully it'll get better. :3**

When I woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of birdsong outside. I immediately found this strange, seeing as I should have been hearing the sounds of that blonde-haired girl preparing for school with giggling and humming and the whoosh of a hairdryer. I stood up and started to do my morning stretches. During this, I glanced towards the top bunk of the bed and saw that the blonde-haired girl wasn't in there. I raised an eyebrow, wondering where she could be. But I was soon distracted by my daily morning routine and was, in an hour's time, ready for school. There was an hour and a half left until we were called for breakfast, so I sat on the bed and started looking through my suitcase. I didn't want to disturb those who might still be sleeping by playing music, so I decided to read a book instead. _Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu _stood in white bold font through the dark red cover of the book, which I started reading with vigour, as I have wanted to start reading this for a while. By the time I was halfway through, it was ten minutes before breakfast was supposed to start. I made a last minute check that I had everything I needed, and then picked up my school bag which I had bought a few months ago. It was meant to match the top half of my uniform, white with a bow on the front, as well as carry all my books, and it did both well. Placing _Carmilla _carefully into my bag, I made my way downstairs to the dining hall.

Most of the students were already there, having been too eager to sleep in. I looked around for the blonde-haired girl who I shared my room with and thought absentmindedly that I should have asked her for her name. I spotted her with a group of girls I met on the first day, who all waved to me as I entered the room. However, the blonde-haired girl didn't wave to me. In fact, she wasn't looking or speaking to anyone, choosing instead to poke at her scrambled eggs with a fork and trying to force a grin off her face, her cheeks a brighter shade of pink than ever before. Waving at the other girls and smiling at the sight of her trying to hide her enthusiasm, I walked over to the group and sat down next to the blonde-haired girl.

"Excited for your first day?"

She obviously hadn't heard me sit next to her, for she jumped slightly in her seat and let out a surprised squeak. When she turned towards me, she remembered who I was and visibly relaxed, though she still seemed a bit nervous.

"Yeah! Super excited!" She proceeded to giggle, but then stopped herself halfway through with a look of realisation on her face.

"Wait! I never asked what your name was. Sorry about that" she pleaded, pouting in apology.

I chuckled at her nervousness before telling her that my name was Akahana Himura.

She grinned, stuck out her hand in a surprisingly western gesture and exclaimed her introduction.

"My name is Chikako Wakahisa. Pretty, right?"

I nodded, which earned another giggle from Chikako. A few minutes later, everyone had finished their breakfast and we were given timetables. I knew a few girls in each class, so it didn't turn out that badly for me. I was slightly worried about Chikako, though. She was in different classes than me, except for Art. She looked up from the timetable and, seeing my concerned frown, shot me a confident smile. I worried about her a bit less, and we made our separate ways to our classes.

On that day, my timetable went like this: Science, Maths, History, Art and Music. However, the only lessons that held any kind of importance on that day were Art and Music.

When I made my way into the art classroom, the bright yellow of Chikako's hair was the first thing that caught my attention. I stood next to her at the front of the class and we greeted each other, chattering about how our first day had been so far. She exclaimed excitably that during her Textiles class, the Zuka Club had entered the classroom and watched over the students with critical eyes, occasionally smiling at a few of them. I remembered reading about their unorthodox methods of recruiting new members for the Zuka Club, and came to the conclusion that that was what they were doing. I mentioned my suspicions, and she seemed even more excited than before. She forced herself to settle down when the teacher came into the classroom, but was still grinning to herself.

The teacher announced that, since it was our first day and this was an Art lesson, it should be a time to be creative, so we could do anything we liked, showing us where the sculpting tools and the paintbrushes and canvases and all the other equipment we might need was. Chikako jumped towards the paints immediately, mixing colours gleefully. I was more cautious, but eventually decided on sculpting. As this was an arts boarding school that only taught the basic of academic subjects, Art was compulsory, which was the only fault I had with the school, seeing as I wasn't an art person. I did enjoy looking at paintings, but when I was making them, there were always these little flaws that I couldn't help disliking and, eventually, the painting would end up in the bin. I was acceptable at Woodwork, so I got out a chunk of wood and some sculpting tools. Seeing as I only had an hour to complete this, I decided on creating something small: a common garden finch. I decided against using paint, as brown was a finch's usual colour and I would probably ruin it by painting over it.

By the end of the class, I had just finished and the teacher praised my skill in sculpting while pointing out things I could improve, which I had previously noticed but hadn't had time to perfect. When the teacher went over to Chikako, we were all in shock at her creation.

There was a woman sitting in a simple light pink dress, with a ribbon tied at the front of the dress. She was sitting in a bed of white lilies, all identical, with grass covering the rest of the ground. But it wasn't just that. The vividity of the colours, the way the woman's long light brown hair was leaping with the summer breeze, the laughter in her dark brown eyes...it was perfect, more beautiful than anything or anyone in this world could possibly be. Soon, everyone in the class was clapping for the painting, including myself, while the teacher was near in tears. However, Chikako wasn't looking at any of us, or even her creation. She was staring with a look of ecstasy towards the doorway, where the members of the Zuka Club were standing casually, smirking to themselves. The other girls, noticing this, stopped their applauding and tried to pounce on the Zuka Club, but the teacher held them back and they walked out. Before they did so, Benio looked back and waved at Chikako, still smirking.

I walked with Chikako out of the classroom, but it was obviously that she was conscious of nothing around her, knowing nothing but the Zuka Club. I walked her to her classroom, which she stumbled into with a breathless "Thanks" before going to my own classroom, where I had Music.

In that lesson, the teacher was a bit stricter than the Art teacher; instead of letting us do whatever we wanted to, we were made to do vocalising and breathing exercises for a while, then the whole class was made to sing _Do You Hear The People Sing from Les Miserables. _While I had no objections, many others did, shouting objections such as "I've never even heard of this song!", "This doesn't suit my vocal range!" and the usual cry of "Can't we choose our own song?!"Most of these complaints were met with a stern glare from the teacher that was enough to turn a person to ice.

At the end of the lesson, the teacher clarified that the reason she did that was to see how we could react to a completely random song being thrust upon us. "The measure of a singer is the measure of their vocal range", she lectured, in a strong French accent, "but the measure of a performer is the measure of their improvisation." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Zuka Club standing in the doorway yet again. However, this time, none of the girls dared to attempt to jump on them, for fear of what this sharp mistress would do and, by the time she was done talking, class had ended and they were gone.

When I entered my dorm room, Chikako wasn't there yet. I was curious, but decided to leave the questioning until she came back. I walked to the desk near the front of the room and started working on the History homework that had been assigned to me. By the time Chikako walked in, it was near 7pm. Seeing as the school day had ended at 4pm, and I hadn't seen her at dinner, I was curious as to where she had been, and was about to question her when I saw that she was in floods of tears. After half an hour of her blubbering on my shoulder, I managed to calm her down enough for her to tell me what had happened.

After her last lesson, one of the members of the Benibara Fan Club was waiting outside for her, fixing her with a jealous glare before announcing that Benio wanted to see her and to follow her. She walked briskly off, and Chikako was panting as she scurried after her, stuck between being intimidated by this messenger and excited that she was going to speak to Benio. Soon, she settled on being excited, her cheeks a bright red as she skipped after the fan club member, who looked back to her every now and then with a look of distaste. Before she was ready, she was in Benio's room. It was just as luxurious as you'd imagine, with a dark red California king bed imported from America and expensive tapestries and paintings decorating the light red walls. Benio stepped out of the shadows in a black nightgown, a glass of red wine in her hand, smirking at Chikako.

"Good evening, young maiden."

Blushing, Chikako stepped forward and said "Hi" softly, looking down at the floor. She heard a chuckle from Benio, and before she knew Benio had even moved, she was grasping her chin gently and lifting it.

"Don't be shy" she whispered in a husky voice. "You are just as beautiful as your paintings."

Chikako, who had been feeling apprehensive, perked up at this.

"You like my painting?"

A deep throaty chuckle from Benio answered that, as did her "Yes, I do."

"I have a proposition for you, Chikako."

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"To become my lover. It would be nothing serious; I am not one for...long-term relationships. But I can promise you that it would be sublime while it lasted. Will you agree to my request?"

"Yes."

"Good. While you are too young for us to partake in any...carnal knowledge, I feel we will both enjoy the company of one another."

At this point, I was confused. If Chikako agreed to be with Benio, then why was she crying about it? I asked her about this, and she stood up and exclaimed.

"Because I am love with Chizuru Maihara!"

***insert dramatic music here*  
Don't worry; I'll sort out this whole love...square? Whatever it is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think it went rather well, personally. :3  
Whatever your opinion is, be sure to leave me a review! :D**


End file.
